September 10-18, 2021

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We would like to invite you to join us as we explore the beautiful gardens of Chicago. A city known for great architecture is also known for outstanding gardens—and we have found the best ones. Along with the Chicago Botanic Gardens, we see public and private gardens, urban

and rural gardens, and iconic horticultural institutions. But it’s not all gardens. We have included two architecture tours: one aboard a boat in the Chicago River and the other on a day-long driving/walking tour centered around the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. Chicago will be

our home for only 8 nights, but our goal is to create memories that will last a lifetime.

Seats are limited, so register early.

We hope to see you in Chicago in September!

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september 10-18, 2021

ITINERARY

This itinerary is subject to change. Included meals: (B) Breakfast (L) Lunch (D) Dinner

Day One – Friday, Sept 10

We each fly into Chicago O’Hare Airport on our own to gather for a week of great gardens along with lots of Windy City culture, food, and history. There will be a shuttle to pick you up at the airport and bring you to our hotel near the Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago. Later in the evening we have a get-acquainted reception in the lobby. Lodging: Virgin Hotels Chicago

Day Two – Saturday, Sept 11

Our Chicago garden adventure begins this morning at Garfield Park Conservatory, one of the largest and most stunning botanical conservatories in the country. Often referred to as “landscape art under glass,” the Conservatory showcases thousands of plant species from around the world in eight indoor display gardens and more than 10 acres of outdoor gardens. We have a guided tour followed by time to explore on your own and visit the gift shop. After lunch, we arrive at Millennium Park. It is home to a variety of public art that has become the number one tourist attraction in the Midwest. It features the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Cloud Gate, the Crown Fountain, and various other attractions. It is the park’s secret garden, Lurie Garden, that attracts us most. We have a special private tour with one of the gardeners who shows us the plantings designed by Dutch landscape designer, Piet Oudolf. At the end of our tour you have time to visit the rest of Millennium Park on your own. Lodging: Virgin Hotels Chicago (B)

Chicago Skyline from Lake Michigan

Garfield Park Conservatory

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Day Three – Sunday, sept 12

Sunday morning starts with a visit to the Garden of the Phoenix in Jackson Park. This garden symbolizes the mutual respect and friendship that Japan and the United States initiated more than 120 years ago. In 1893, on Jackson Park's Wooded Island, the Japanese Government built the Phoenix Temple as its pavilion for the World's Columbian Exposition. This temple introduced Japanese artistic heritage to Americans and remained as a gift to Chicago. In the afternoon we cruise the Chicago River to see the city's

famous architecture. We travel on all three branches of the Chicago River with commentary from our guide, as we watch the spectacular skyline glide by, including more than 40 notable buildings. Lodging: Virgin Hotels Chicago (B)

Day Four – Monday, sept 13

Legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright spent the first 20 years of

his career in Chicago. To explore that period, we have an all-day “Wright around Chicago” driving/walking tour to experience the life and work of the man who established a uniquely American style of architecture. We begin at the spectacular Light Court remodeled by Wright in The Rookery, an early Chicago skyscraper. Then we head to suburban Oak Park, which boasts more Wright residences than anywhere in the world. Later, we tour the famed Home and Studio, where he experimented with space and form. Before enjoying lunch at an Oak Park restaurant, we explore the surrounding Historic District. To finish our immersion into Wright, we take in the spectacular city skyline as we travel along scenic Lake Shore Drive to historic Hyde Park for a tour of the magnificently restored Frederick C. Robie House, Wright’s best-known Prairie masterpiece and a precursor of modernism in architecture. Our excursion ends at The Rookery Building, where we will raise a glass of prosecco to celebrate Frank Lloyd Wright’s enduring legacy. Lodging: Virgin Hotels Chicago (B)(L)

Architectural Boat Tour

Robie House Garden of the Phoenix

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Day Five – Tuesday, sept 14

This morning we check out of our downtown Chicago hotel and venture west of the city to explore two legendary horticultural institutions: the Morton Arboretum and the Ball Horticultural Headquarters. Morton Arboretum is an internationally recognized garden dedicated to the planting and conservation of trees. Its 1,700 acres hold more than 222,000 live plants representing nearly 4,300 taxa from around the world. The Arboretum offers extensive educational programming for all ages, including our group, as we have a guided tour through a portion of the grounds. Afterward we head

to nearby Ball Horticultural Company. Launched by George J. Ball in 1905 as a wholesale cut flower operation, Ball has grown to color the world and transform garden dreams into reality. Their motto, “All the Best and Nothing Else,” is evident as we tour the facilities and display gardens. At the end of the day we make our way to our new hotel in Evanston, just blocks from the Northwestern University campus. Lodging: Hyatt Evanston (B)

Day Six – Wednesday, sept 15

The new book, Gardens of the North Shore of Chicago, beautifully illustrates some of the extraordinary private gardens found north of the city of Chicago. Our day today is filled with visits to some of these incredible gardens, beginning with the garden of a local renowned landscape architect and finishing with two nearby gardens that he designed for private clients. Lodging: Hyatt House Evanston (B)

Day Seven – Thursday, sept 16

Today is all about the Chicago Botanic Garden, a 385-acre living plant museum situated on nine islands in the Cook County Forest Preserves. It features 27 display gardens in four natural habitats along with an excellent Bonsai collection. The garden opened more than 45 years ago and it has matured into one of the world’s great living

Ball Horticultural HQ

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museums and conservation science centers. The Garden is one of only 17 public gardens accredited by the American Association of Museums. Its Lenhardt Library contains 150,000 volumes—including one of the nation's best collections of rare botanical books. The Chicago Botanic Garden traces its origins back to the Chicago Horticultural Society, founded in 1890. Our friends at Chicago Botanic have planned a wonderful day at the Garden, beginning with a 35-minute narrated tram tour that travels 2.6 miles

and shows the entire garden grounds. You see highlights of 81 acres of lakes, 9 garden islands with panoramic views. Afterward, we will have a “behind the scenes tour” of the workings of the garden. There is plenty of time to explore on your own, have lunch, and visit the gift shop before we return to our hotel. Lodging: Hyatt House Evanston (B)(L)

Day Eight – Friday, sept 17

Our final day in Chicagoland takes us to visit two gardens on the North Shore: Mettawa Manor and Crab Tree Farm. Mettawa is a haven for pollinators with a meadow of native flowers after decades of careful stewardship by a famous Chicago couple. Of the 65 acres at Mettawa Manor, 30 are devoted to restored prairie lands. Crab Tree Farm in Lake Bluff is one of the North Shore’s most beloved gardens and is a tribute to its preservationist owners. Today it is the last working farm in Illinois on Lake Michigan with a breathtaking panorama of gardens, forest, fields, and follies. David Adler designed the first folly, Jefferson House, which sits at the end of a

cathedral-like allee in the forest. Returning to Evanston at the end of the day, we stop at a local garden center. Tonight, we have a farewell dinner together at a rooftop organic garden that has a restaurant in the middle of it. Lodging: Hyatt HouseEvanston (B)(D)

Day Nine – Saturday, sept 18

Our time in Chicago ends as we make our way back to O’Hare International Airport for our return flights home. (B)

Chicago Botanic Garden

Crab Tree Farm Prairie at Mettawa Manor

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Cost

$3840.00 Total cost per person (double/twin occupancy, land-only) $800.00 Single room supplemental fee

While we attempt to find roommates for single participants, if a roommate is not available, the participant is subject to pay the single supplement fee.

Payment Deadlines

$1000.00 July 1, 2021 Deposit due

$2840.00 August 10, 2021 Final payment due

$800.00 August 10, 2021 Single supplemental fee due

Note: seats are reserved when the registration form and deposit are received and are given

out on a first-come, first-served basis. Register early, seats are limited!

Method of Payment:

by check only, payable to: MCDUFFTOURS LLC

Tour Conditions

MCDUFFTOURS LLC acts only as agents for the passengers with respect to transportation, hotels and restaurants, and exercise every care possible. MCDUFFTOURS LLC assumes no responsibility to any person or entity for liability for injury, damage, loss, accident, breakdown, disruption of advertised schedules, delay or irregularity in connection with the service of any ship, ferry, airplane, train, automobile, motorcoach, carriage, or any other conveyance used in carrying out these tours, or for the acts or defaults of any company or person engaged in conveying the passenger or in carrying out the arrangements of the tour. We cannot accept responsibility for losses or additional expense due to delay, refusal of visa, or changes in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, violent acts, quarantine, acts of God, or any other causes beyond our control. All such losses will have to be borne by the passenger, as our tour rates provide for arrangements only for the time stated. We reserve the right to make such alterations to the itinerary or accommodations as may be deemed necessary for carrying out the tour. The right is reserved to cancel any tour prior to departure, in which case the entire payment will be refunded without further obligation on our part. The right is reserved to decline to accept or retain any person as a member of the tour. No refund will be made for the unused portion of any tour. Baggage is at the owner’s risk entirely. The acceptance of any service provided as part of tour or any ticket or voucher shall be deemed to be acceptance of, and consent by the tour member to these conditions. Services are subject to the laws of the country where services are provided. For a more detailed Term and Conditions statement from MCDUFFTOURS, please click here:

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Included in the Cost

The cost of this tour includes lodging, entrance fees, guides, ground transportation, all breakfasts, bottled water, and dinners and lunches that are noted in the Itinerary. While we attempt to find roommates for single participants, if a roommate is not available, the participant is subject to pay the single supplemental fee.

Not included in the Cost

Costs not included are: airfare from your home to Chicago and return, the cost of excess/overweight baggage charges, items of a purely personal nature such as drinks, laundry, telephone and optional tours are not included. Meals, except those included in the tour are not included. Trip insurance is not included as well as tips to driver/guides.

It is strongly recommended that you purchase Trip Insurance to protect your tour investment against covered unforeseeable circumstances.

We offer Trip Insurance through a company called CSA Travel Protection. You can contact them on the web at: http://www.csatravelpro.com/20190129 or call them at (800) 348-9505 and tell them the product number is: 20190129.

Our Hotels:

Chicago Virgin Hotels

– September 10-14, 2021

Located just steps from Michigan Avenue, Millennium Park, and the River Walk, Virgin Hotels Chicago has been named the #1 hotel in Chicago by Conde Nast Reader's Choice Awards.

Hyatt House Hotel Evanston

– September 14-18, 2021

Northwestern University and Lake Michigan beaches are only a couple of blocks away, as are many restaurants and shops.

Please note that this garden tour requires a considerable amount of walking

up and down stairs as many properties are not wheelchair accessible.

Participants must also be able to walk on paths across uneven ground and

must also be able to manage their own luggage.

Cancellation and Refund Policy: The deposit is totally refundable until July 26, 2021. Between July 26, 2021, and August 10, 2021, the deposit minus actual expenses incurred in travel and hotel arrangements will be retained and the remainder refunded.

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REGISTRATION FORM

Please print – each participant must complete this form

Full Legal Name _______________________________________________________________ First name for NAME TAG ___________________________ Phone # ___________________ Birthdate _________________ Email _______________________________________________ Street Address _________________________________________________________________ City _______________________________________ State _______ Zip Code ______________ Emergency contact ____________________________________ Phone #_________________ Special food requirements or allergies _____________________________________________ Name of preferred roommate ____________________________________________________

Reservation information: Robert McDuffie - 540 818 0154 - [email protected]

MCDUFFTOURS LLC is a travel company founded by Nancy and Robert McDuffie, both former professors at Virginia Tech. Nancy is a soprano and was on faculty in the Department of Music,

while Robert is a Landscape Architect and was in the Department of Horticulture as well as Director of the Hahn Horticulture Garden. After establishing the first group Horticulture Study Abroad program 23 years ago at Virginia Tech, they now organize garden tours around the world

for all ages. They have taken over 1400 garden lovers to visit gardens here in the U.S. and abroad with destinations to England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Costa Rica, Italy,

Spain, Portugal, Monaco, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, France, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and the Netherlands.

Please mail your completed reservation form, along with a deposit check by July 1, 2021 to:

MCDUFFTOURS LLC 4810 Susannah Drive Blacksburg, VA 24060